Lazgi

Lazgi is a folk dance from the Khorazm region of Uzbekistan whose roots reach back well over a thousand years: paintings of the dance at the Tuproq-qala archaeological site in Khorazm (1st-6th centuries CE) testify to its antiquity. Initially associated with Khorazm, it is now performed throughout Uzbekistan. The dance reflects the social life and everyday activities of local communities - UNESCO describes it as representing "real life in all its movements," reflecting the sounds and phenomena of surrounding nature alongside feelings of love and happiness. Its movement vocabulary is distinctive: dancing on half-bent legs with trembling, shaking movements of the shoulders and arms, often with ringing bells attached to them.

Two forms exist: a staged "scenery" dance that represents these themes through fixed, concrete movements, and an interpretive improvised form in which the rhythm and movements grow progressively more dynamic. In performance, musicians, singers, and dancers act in close coordination, with song lyrics largely devoted to love and kindness. The dance has been transmitted across generations through the continual creation of new versions of performances.

In 2019, UNESCO inscribed "Khorazm dance, Lazgi" on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (Decision 14.COM 10.b.41). It is performed in its staged form at national holidays and folk festivities, and in its improvised form at community and family events. See Sources.